Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Novel Sequence Discovery by Subtractive Genomics
Published on: January 25, 2019
Triggering the Selective Reading of Sequence-Defined Oligourethanes: An Example Using Computer Scripts, Representing
Hyun Meen Park1, Hazel A Fargher1, Kevin Song2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States.
None:
Over the past decades, various types of sequence-defined polymers (SDPs) have been explored for use in information storage. However, unlike conventional digital systems, abiotic SDPs commonly lack a means for selective data retrieval. Here, we introduce a set of orthogonally protected linkers that function as molecular logic gates when integrated with sequence-defined oligourethanes (OUs). These linkers enable selective "reading" of specific OUs in response to distinct chemical triggers. Beyond demonstrating selective retrieval, our platform allows OUs to encode executable computer instructions, such as matrix multiplication in Python, thereby interfacing chemical specificity with digital computation. Different chemical triggers yield different computational outputs, illustrating that chemical inputs can control which Python code is run. This work establishes a new paradigm for chemically addressable molecular data storage and its extension toward digital computation.
Related Concept Videos
RNA-seq
Before the discovery of RNA-seq, microarray-based methods and Sanger sequencing were used for transcriptome analysis. However, while...
Maxam-Gilbert Sequencing
Challenges of the Maxam-Gilbert Method
The...
Next-generation Sequencing
Next-Generation Sequencing Methods
Although all next-generation methods use different technologies, they all share a set of standard features....
Sanger Sequencing

